Key data Amman Valley
Amman Valley
1 Introduction 2 2 Population and Social Profile 3 2.1 Population 3 2.2 Ethnicity 3 2.3 Welsh Language 3 2.4 Health 3 2.5 Housing 3 2.6 The Economy and Employment 4 2.7 Communities First Areas 4 2.8 Welsh Index of multiple deprivation 4 3 Access to facilities 5 3.1 Facilities and services 5 3.2 Highways and Access to a private car 7 3.3 Travel to work 7 3.4 Public transport 7 4 Minerals, Renewables and Waste 8 4.1 Mineral and aggregate resources 8 4.2 Renewable Energy 8 4.3 Waste 8 5 Quality of Life 9 5.1 Air Quality and Noise Pollution 9 5.2 SSSIs and areas of nature conservation 9 5.3 Built Heritage 9 Key data Amman Valley 1 Introduction
This is one of a series of overview papers that are being prepared to inform discussion on the preparation of the plan. These overview papers outline the main issues that have been identified through work on the background papers. They will be amended and expanded as the discussion and work develops and any comments on omissions or corrections will be gratefully received.
Background papers are being prepared on the 8 community areas that make up Neath Port Talbot and on specific themes such as housing. They will be available from the LDP website www.npt.gov.uk/ldp
How to contact the LDP team
1. Via the website; www.npt.gov.uk/ldp 2. Via e-mail; [email protected] 3. by telephone; 01639 686821 4. by letter;
LDP team, Planning Services, Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council The Quays, Brunel Way, Baglan Energy Park, Neath, SA11 2GG
This document may be made available on request in Welsh or in larger type font or other formats: please contact us.
This paper will cover the themes identified below and summarises the key trends and issues identified in the spatial background paper for the Amman Valley:
Population and social profile Economy and employment Access to facilities Minerals, renewable energy and waste facilities
Unless otherwise stated the information is derived from the 2001 Census, either collected directly from this source, or taken from the Neighbourhood profiles produced in 2008 by NPTCBC.
The Amman Valley encompasses the wards of Lower Brynamman (which includes the community of Tair’gwaith) and Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen (which includes Cwmgors).
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2.1 Population
In 2001 the population of the Amman Valley was 4133 residents.
The population profile for Lower Brynamman and Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen follows a similar pattern to that of Neath Port Talbot as a whole.
Closer examination of the population indicates that in the Amman Valley there is a higher percentage of the population aged 0-19 than average for the County Borough, hence there is a younger population.
Between 2001 and 2005 there was an increase in population in both Lower Brynamman and Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen.
2.2 Ethnicity
The Ethnic make up of the wards in the Amman Valley illustrates that like much of Neath Port Talbot as a whole, Black and multi-ethnic groups are very much in the minority.
2.3 Welsh Language
Lower Brynamman and Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen are traditionally Welsh speaking areas and a high percentage of residents speak Welsh.
In Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen and Lower Brynamman respectively 69.4% and 67.9% of the population above the age of 3 can speak, read or write Welsh. These are the highest levels in Neath Port Talbot.
2.4 Health
In both Lower Brynamman and Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen a higher proportion of the population describe their health as not good compared to the County Borough and Welsh average. This trend is reflected in the number suffering from a long term limiting illness with slightly higher rates than average for the Authority and significantly higher rates than average for Wales.
2.5 Housing
Between 1996 and 2008 no large housing sites have been developed in the Amman Valley and building development has focused on smaller sites within the area. In recent years there has been an increase in the number of smaller sites which have been developed with 20 houses built during the last 3 years.
In Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen there are a higher percentage of one-person households and pensioners living alone than the County Borough average. In Lower Brynamman there are a higher percentage of households containing dependent children and other pensioner households.
In terms of housing stock in Lower Brynamman there are a higher percentage of owner-occupiers whereas in Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen there are a higher percentage of properties rented from the Council.
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The Upper Amman Valley contains a housing renewal area.
2.6 The Economy and Employment
In both Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen and Lower Brynamman there are lower rates of employment and a higher proportion of residents who are unable to work as they are permanently sick or disabled compared with the County Borough average.
Unemployment levels in Lower Brynamman have fluctuated greatly between June 2004 and June 2008 and, with the exception of June 2006, have remained above the levels in Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen. In June 2008 unemployment rates in Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen were at their lowest at 2.2% and were below the average for Neath Port Talbot and for Wales.
A higher proportion of the population in Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen and Lower Brynamman are employed in skilled trades or personal services compared to the Welsh and County Borough average. In Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen there are also more employed in professional occupations (although the numbers are below average for Wales) and in Lower Brynamman an above average proportion are employed as process plant and machine operators or in the administrative and secretarial sectors.
In both Lower Brynamman and Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen, there are above average numbers, when compared with the County Borough average, employed in agriculture, hunting and forestry, mining and quarrying (especially in Lower Brynamman), in public administration and defence and in health and social work. In addition above average numbers in Lower Brynamman are employed in transport, storage and communication.
2.7 Communities First Areas
The Welsh Assembly has developed a long term programme which aims to improve opportunities and the quality of life of the most disadvantaged communities in Wales. These communities, Communities First Areas, were identified as they are in the top 10% of the most deprived wards in Wales. The Upper Amman Valley is one such area and an Action Plan has been developed, in partnership with the local community on how improvements can be made in the communities of Lower Brynamman, Tairgwaith, Cwmgors and Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen in Neath Port Talbot and Quarterbach in Carmarthenshire. The Upper Amman Valley is the only cross-border Communities First Area in Wales.
2.8 Welsh Index of multiple deprivation
Overall, the wards are in the top 25-50% of the most deprived LSOAs in Wales and fare worst in the categories of income, employment, health and education. For example, Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen 2 is in the top 25% most deprived wards in Wales in terms of income and access to services and Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen1 is in the top quartile in relation to health. In relation to the employment indicators all wards are in the top quartile of the most deprived wards.
The wards however fared well in relation to the Physical Environment Indicators with all being in the top 25% of the least deprived wards.
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3.1 Facilities and services
3.1.1 Retail and banking
The main retail outlets which serve the Amman Valley are in Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen. These are local convenience food stores, a bakery, clothes shop and take-away. The centre in Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen also helps to meet the day-to-day needs of those in Lower Brynamman, Tair’gwaith and Cwmgors. It provides an important focus for the Valley and helps to reduce traffic and congestion created by people having to travel further afield to meet their needs. The shops and services in Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen are of particular importance as retail facilities in Lower Brynamman are very limited (consisting of a small shop at the petrol station and a post office) and because there are no retail outlets in Tair’gwaith.
Residents of Lower Brynamman may also travel to Upper Brynamman to meet their needs or further afield to Swansea, Ammanford or Pontardawe where there is a wider selection of goods and services.
At the time of the survey there were two vacant premises in Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen and four vacant premises in Lower Brynamman.
In terms of banking facilities a Post Office is located within the Spar in Cwmgors, (however, this is proposed for closure) and there is a Post Office in both Lower Brynamman and Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen. In Tair’gwaith, Post Office services are provided on Monday and Wednesday mornings from 9:30am-12:30pm in the Community Hall. There are also cash machines in Lower Brynamman and Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen, however these facilities are unavailable out-of-hours.
3.1.2 Education
Lower Brynamman, Cwmgors and Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen are each served by a traditional Welsh primary school, while an English language school is located in Tair’gwaith. There is no comprehensive school in the Amman Valley. The nearest English speaking comprehensive school is located in Pontardawe and the nearest Welsh Language comprehensive school is located in Ystalyfera.
Secondary school children in the Upper Amman Valley may attend school in Ammanford.
A library is located in Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen however it has very limited opening hours. Lower Brynamman, Cwmgors, Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen and Tair’gwaith are also served by the mobile library.
The Amman Valley Enterprise Centre, located at the Local Action Centre in Tair’gwaith, offers over 40 different lifelong learning courses ranging from IT, language classes to photography and aromatherapy courses. There is also a satellite centre in Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen library.
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3.1.3 Health facilities
Amman Valley Medical Practice and a community health clinic are located in Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen and serve the residents of the Amman Valley. In addition there is a dental surgery in Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen and also a Lloyds Pharmacy. Residents of Lower Brynamman and Tair’gwaith have to travel to Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen to access health care. This may be cause for concern as over 30% of residents in Lower Brynamman suffer from a long-term limiting illness.
3.1.4 Leisure and recreation
Tair’gwaith Trotting Club is an important leisure and recreational resource which has a number of harness racing fixtures a year. This facility is of national importance and attracts visitors from all over Great Britain and Ireland.
All of the communities are served by public houses, churches and community facilities. The Amman Valley enterprise centre is located in Tair’gwaith which encompasses a lifelong learning centre and Lots of Tots childcare.
Residents of the Amman Valley will have to travel further afield to access commercial leisure facilities for example there is a public cinema in Upper Brynamman and a wider range of leisure facilities in Pontardawe, Ammanford and Swansea.
3.1.5 Open countryside and sports facilities (source 2007 Open Space survey)
Due to its setting the Amman Valley is surrounded by hills with access to the surrounding countryside by a range of rights of way. The disused railway line which passes through the area provides an important green corridor and recreational facility.
There is one formal park in Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen and lower Brynamman, Parc Y Werin, which contains two tennis courts and a bowling green. Two rugby pitches are located at Cwmgors RFC, two football pitches are located in Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen and there is a football/basketball pitch in Tair’gwaith. Despite these facilities there is a deficit in provision of outdoor sports facilities in relation to the size of the resident population.
Three children’s play areas cater for residents in the ward and most households have access to informal recreational facilities however some pockets are beyond reasonable walking distance.
Assessment of individual wards can suggest that there is sufficient or inadequate provision compared to the standards of the UDP, however, when considering these results it is necessary to take into account that some areas may be served by facilities in nearby wards. Preparation of the LDP provides an opportunity to consider whether provision serving communities is sufficient or can still be improved.
Further facilities (including an open air swimming pool) are located in Brynamman, in Carmarthenshire, less than 1 mile from Lower Brynamman.
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3.2 Highways and Access to a private car
The road network in the Amman Valley is restricted to single carriageways which link urban Neath to Cwmgors and Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen via Pontardawe.
Car ownership levels are higher than average in both Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen and Lower Brynamman.
3.3 Travel to work
As a result of people increasingly commuting or travelling further to reach jobs, shopping, leisure and entertainment the lack of access to a car and dependency on the availability of public transport can become more of an issue and in some cases lead to social isolation.
The majority of those in employment travel to work by car. In Lower Brynamman slightly more people travel to work by public transport than average, however, in both wards the numbers who travel to work on foot/bike is lower than average for the County Borough.
These trends can be explained by the data on distance travelled to work with the highest proportion of people travelling 10-20km to work. Similarly there are higher levels of commuting for distances greater than 10km, fewer people work less than 5km from where they live and there are higher levels of home-working.
Less than half the population in Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen and Lower Brynamman work within Neath Port Talbot. Approximately 25% of the population work in Swansea County Borough and over 20% of the population work in neighbouring Carmarthenshire.
3.4 Public transport
Public transport from the Amman Valley is limited with no direct service to Port Talbot. As of the 23 rd of February 2009 there will be a new service running every 2 hours from Monday to Saturdays connecting Ammanford and Neath.
Service X13 and X14 provide an hourly service until 14:40 to Swansea via Ammanford which serves Brynamman and Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen however there are no services on a Sunday and limited services in the afternoon and evening. Service 148 from Ammanford to Pontardawe serves Cwmgors and Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen every 60-90 minutes however there is no service on a Sunday.
On college days service number 905 to Neath College serves Tairgwaith and Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen with one service in the morning and return in the evening.
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4.1 Mineral and aggregate resources
East Pit Opencast is located on the hillside above the communities of Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen, Tairgwaith and Cwmllynfell. Whilst there has been slow progress on coaling to date, Celtic Energy has recently announced that it is gearing up for full production and estimates East Pit will produce around 2 million tonnes of coal over the next six to seven years.
Two other facilities are located in the locality, namely the Forge Washery (Brynamman) and Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen Rail Pad.
4.2 Renewable Energy
None of the area is identified within the Authority’s Interim Planning Guidance on Wind Farms as being necessary for wind farm development.
4.3 Waste
Waste facilities and the nearest Civic Amenity site are located at Pwllfawatkin, within the Pontardawe spatial area, south of Cwmgors.
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According to the Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen and Lower Brynamman fall within the 25% least deprived wards in Wales in terms of physical environment.
The indicators that are used to measure physical environment are: air quality, air emissions, flood risk and proximity to waste disposal and industrial sites.
5.1 Air Quality and Noise Pollution
These do not appear to be a problem.
5.2 SSSIs and areas of nature conservation
There is a Site of Special Scientific Interest in Tairgwaith which covers an area of 4.56ha.
5.3 Built Heritage
There are six listed buildings in the Amman Valley.
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